Is it your first time launching a blog? Or have you already launched your website and want to know what you are missing out on others aren’t?
Whatever the case might be, these tools are a must-have if you are thinking about starting a blog or a website.
Bluehost
Bluehost offers some solid plans for beginner bloggers.
When I first started my first blog I was broke and I needed a good but inexpensive host to start my journey.
Bluehost provides inexpensive hosting plus a free domain for 1 year.
Purrrfect!
I immediately jumped on the offer and purchased it since I had to buy a domain anyway. They have great customer support and they also helped me set up my blog since I have zero technical bones.
Also, If you are a beginner blogger and are starting fresh, there is no need for you to pay so much for hosting at the start.
There are so many options out there that are going to make you overwhelmed if it hasn’t already. Not to mention most options are either overkill or don’t provide the customer support you NEED as a new blogger.
You don’t need very expensive or dedicated hosting when you first start blogging. You just need a good host to get going.
This is why I recommend using Bluehost for hosting your blog if you are a beginner blogger.
NameCheap
Nobody can beat Namecheap’s performance in the domain industry. Buying a domain should be simple and hassle-free and that’s what they are good at.
And yes they also provide the cheapest deals in the market. Domain registration comes with free domain privacy protection which is ultra-important. Most other domain providers charge you for that which sucks.
The renewal rates are better than most in the market. Coupled with good customer support and easy domain transfer. Personally, I have had no issues with it.
Namecheap also provides hosting but I would recommend you go with Bluehost as they provide much better performance. But in the domain market, Namecheap is the most reliable one.
Grammarly
Grammarly is a freemium writing app that helps you analyze text, and checks for grammar, punctuation, and spelling errors. The premium version is on another level by offering plagiarism checks, writing suggestions, and best practices for writing.
Including rating your text clarity, engagement, delivery, etc. As a writer, I fell in love with it. It’s not only for bloggers but anyone can use it. Be it a student or a business person that writes a few occasional emails.
It provides suggestions, tips, and advice so that you can match the tone of your content. This is to ensure that your writing does not feel all over the place and is smooth to read. You can start with the free version but its premium version is worth the price. It makes things so much hassle-free.
Protip: Add the free Grammarly chrome extension so you can instantly correct your errors without needing to leave your current tab.
Canva
Another freemium tool that I can’t recommend enough. Canva is an excellent online graphic designing tool that is a one-stop solution for all your graphic design needs.
Yes, that includes video editing, flyers, Pinterest pins, logos, Instagram, T-shirt designs, banners, infographics, custom designs, etc. You name it.
Free is more than enough for new bloggers.
The premium version costs only $12.95 for seriously bomb features. A no-brainer if you want maximum design flexibility in your blogging journey. But the free version is also more than enough for beginners. I fell in love with canva when I discovered it back in 2019. I do all my graphic design work on it.
Be it for personal or business use.
You can also access Canva Pro completely free for one month.
Pexels
Pexels provides thousands of free stock high-resolution photos and videos for your image needs. Stock-free images are like life saviors for bloggers.
The images come in all different orientations so you can pick for different needs. For example, I usually search for vertical images for my Pinterest pins and horizontal images for my blog posts.
Similar sites are Unsplash, Pixabey, and Canva. I use all four of them depending on the need so just bookmark them all.
Google Analytics
If your blog is not connected with google analytics better open a new tab and do it now. Businesses need to have a google analytics account so they can measure their site traffic and performance.
There is so much you can learn and plan from it. It’s the best way to judge your performance and know where you are going wrong.
All the data of your site like your source of traffic, geographical location, bounce rate, etc are available so you can plan and strategize your content.
It gives you a complete insight into your website and it’s free for anyone with a google account. You can connect your social media accounts to it as well. The process is pretty straightforward and simple. It can easily be set up in a few minutes.
Google Keyword Planner
I LOVE THIS.
The best free keyword research tool I’ve ever come across. It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or an expert blogger. You need this. You can search for related terms, keyword ideas, approx. traffic for each keyword and so much more.
It was a bit of a hassle to set it up but so much worth it. Even if you use paid tools, I would suggest not letting this one pass. Google keyword planner made it very simple for me to search for new related keywords and new post ideas.
Pixlr
Pixlr is a free image compressor and optimizer tool.
Compressing your images is very important for your website and any image of more than 100kb is an absolute no-no. This is so that your website loads fast. I wrote a post about image optimization so check that out or bookmark it to read it later. It’s very thorough so you don’t have to wander around the internet searching for answers like I did.
Out of all the options, I use Pixlr a lot. It resizes AND compresses my images.
These are the tools I use for my blogging needs. I hope you find this post helpful. Remember to set up your google analytics account and always remember to compress your images before uploading them on your site as uncompressed images slow down your site speed.
Comment and tell me which tool you found the most useful in the list.
*there are some affiliate links in the post. That means if you click through them and purchase something, I will receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Happy blogging!
